Door safety mechanism



Dec. 29, 1936. -J GAISMAN 2,065,685

I DOOR SAFETY MECHANISM Filed. Feb. 19, 1935 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEYJ Patented Dec. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to doors for automobiles and the like.

In the operation of automobile doors and the like, painful injuries to fingers and hands are often received by passengers who have inadvertently had their fingers between the door and the door jamb at the moment of closure of the door. The object of the invention generally is an automobile door provided with means for preventing 10 or minimizing these accidents.

A further object of the invention is an automobile door having a novel means for the aforesaid purpose and particularly a means or device which is readily adaptable to any standard automobile l door structure.

A further object of the invention is a means of the aforesaid indicated character which is characterized by its simplicity in structure and by its reliability in operation, and by the economy with which it may be manufactured.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view of the inside of an automobile 25 embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the edge of the door looking in the direction of the arrows 2-2;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1 with thedoor partially open; and

30 Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. l with the door in the closing movement.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is illustrated as embodied in an automobile having a door I, vertical door jamb members 2 and 3 and 35 an upper horizontal door jamb member 4. The door I is hinged forswinging movement in the conventional manner about the vertical door jamb member 3 and is provided with any conventional latch or look for fastening the door in the 40 closed position to the vertical jamb 2, this means being omitted for convenience in illustration. A handle 5 of the conventional construction is indicated for releasing the latch and permitting the door to open.

45 The door has mounted thereon on the inside a guard rod 6 which is vertically disposed and is pivotally mounted on the inside of the door to swing about a vertical axis. This vertical member 6, in the particular embodiment shown, is in 50 the form of a rod having its upper and lower ends bent at right angles to the main body to form horizontal members i and 8, which in turn have their ends I and 8' respectively bent into parallelism with the main body 6. The guard 55 member is mounted upon brackets 9 and H) which are fastened to the inside of the door near the edge thereof and have alined openings for the reception of the ends 1' and 8 of the rod 6 to permit the latter to swing about the ends 1' and 8 as a vertical axis.

Means are provided for yieldingly holding the guard member 6 in a definite position with respect to the door jamb 2 so as to permit the closing of the door unhindered when no hand or other obstacle is disposed in the path of the edge of the 10 door as it is swung to closed position. This means may comprise one or more springs urging the member 6 toward the jamb 2 about the axes l and 8' and a stop lug l I carried by the bracket it which arrests the swinging movement in one direction. In the particular embodiment shown there are two springs l2 and I3 disposed respectively about the brackets 9 and I0 and encircling respectively the ends 1' and 8' of the guard member. Each of these springs has one end in en- 2 gagement with its corresponding bracket and the other end 12' and [3' in engagement with'the guard member 6 to urge the latter towards the jamb 2.

To prevent closure of the door when the path of the edge of the door is obstructed, the upper horizontal member 4 of the door jamb is provided with a stop lug or member l4 slightly spaced from the vertical jamb member 2, as indicated' in the drawing. The guard member 6 when in position against its stop lug II is adapted to pass between the door jamb 2 and the stop member I4 and to permit the unhindered closing of the door. If there should be an obstruction however in the path of the guard member 6, as 5 for example the hand, as indicated in Fig. 4, the guard member is urged against the tension of the springs l2 and I3 to a position in the path of the lug I4 to arrest the closing movement of the door.

In the particular embodiment shown the guard 40 member 6 carries on its upper end a finger l5 whose outer or free end engages the stop l4 and arrests the closing movement of the door in time to prevent the squeezing of the fingers between the door jamb and the door.

The operation is clear from the above description. If, for example, someone should attempt to close the door I while a passenger in getting in the car had hold of the door jamb, as indicated in Fig. 4, the door would be automatically arrested in its closing movement before actual engagement with the jamb member 2, thereby avoiding injury tothe hand. It is understood, of course, that the guard member 6 should extend throughout the portion of the door jamb 2 which is likely to be engaged by the hand. In the particular embodiment shown the guard member 6 extends substantially throughout the depth or heighth of the door. While the invention is illustrated as associated with automobile doors, it is understood that it is applicable to doors generally wherein similar problems arise.

I claim:

1. In an automobile door and the like, a swinging door, a fixed frame including horizontal and vertical door jamb members, a stop member mounted on the horizontal door jamb member of the fixed frame, said stop member being slightly spaced from the vertical door jamb, an elongated guard member which is pivotally mounted on the inside of the door adjacent the outer edge thereof to swing about a vertical axis, said guard member normally passing between the door jamb and said stop member and yieldingly held in that normal position, but adapted to be swung out into the path of the stop member and to arrest the door if the hand or other obstruction is disposed in the path of the guard.

2. In a door mechanism of the character set forth, a door member, a fixed door frame including a door jamb member, a stop device carried by one of said members, a guard pivotally mounted upon the other of said members, said guard normally clearing the stop member but adapted upon engagement with the fingers of the hand disposed in the path of the closing door to be deflected into the path of the stop member to arrest the closing movement, and means yieldingly holding said guard in a position to clear the stop but permitting movement thereof to a position in the path of the stop when the guard encounters an obstruction in the closing movement.

3. In automobile doors and the like, a door, a fixed door frame including a door jamb, a stop member carried by the fixed frame, a guard member pivotally mounted on the door and yieldingly urged to a position normally clearing the jamb and the stop member but close enough to the jamb to engage the fingers of the hand resting upon the jamb and said stop being in a position to engage the guard member when moved by engagement with the fingers of the hand disposed in the path of the guard, the guard member being provided with a finger mounted upon the upper end of the guard to engage said stop member.

4. In automobile doors and the like, a door, a fixed door frame including a door jamb, a stop member carried by the fixed frame, a guard member pivotally mounted on the door and yieldingly urged to a position normally clearing the jamb and the stop member but close enough to the jamb to engage the fingers of the hand resting upon the jamb and said stop being in a position to engage the guard member when moved by engagement with the fingers of the hand disposed in the path of the guard, the said guard member being in the form of an elongated rod having its ends bent to form portions parallel to the main body thereof and to form the vertical axis about which the guard swings.

5. In automobile doors and the like, a door, a fixed door frame including a door jamb, a stop member carried by the fixed frame, a guard member pivotally mounted on the door and yieldingly urged to a position normally clearing the jamb and the stop member but close enough to the jamb to engage the fingers of the hand resting upon the jamb and said stop being in a position to engage the guard member when moved by engagement with the fingers of the hand disposed in the path of the guard, the said guard member being in the form of an elongated rod having its ends bent to form portions parallel to the main body thereof and to form the vertical axis about which the guard swings, with a spring engaging one end of the member to yieldingly urge the guard in one direction and the door carrying a stop for limiting the movement due to the spring. I

6. In a mechanism of the character described associated with the door, the combination comprising a co-operating swinging door and a fixed framework, guard means carried by said door adapted in one position to permit closure of the door and in another position to prevent such closure, and means yieldably holding said guard means in said first position but permitting movement thereof to said other position upon engagement of said guard member with an object disposed in the path of closure of the door.

'7. In a door mechanism of the character set forth, a fixed door frame including door jamb members, a hinged swinging door whose outer edge makes a tight closure with the adjacent door jamb member, said door jamb having a portion which acts as a stop, a guard pivotally mounted upon said door adjacent the outer edge, said guard normally occupying a position to clear the stop but movable over to a position to engage the stop, and including means whereby the guard upon encountering an obstruction at the adjacent jamb member is moved over to engage the stop and thereby cause the closing movement of the door to be arrested.

8. In a door mechanism of the character set forth in claim 7 wherein the guard member is pivotally mounted for movement about an axis parallel to the hinge axis of the swinging door and is adapted to move toward and away from said jamb member.

9. In automobile doors and the like, a fixed door frame, a swinging door hinged upon said frame, a guard member pivotally mounted adjacent the outer edge of the door, said guard memher being yieldingly urged to a position normally permitting the closure of the door, but operable by encountering an obstruction to a position to block the closing movement of the door when nearing the closing position, and means on the fixed frame adjacent the pivotally mounted guard with which the guard engages upon meeting said obstruction for arresting the closing movement.

HENRY J. GAISMAN. 

